Toy submarine



Jah. 7, 1969 H. H. owBRlDGE TOY SUBMARINE Sheet Filed April 14, 1966 INVENTOR. 11525527 JJ. we/DQE BYl Jan'. 7, 1969 H. H IowBRlDGE TOY SUBMAR INE Sheet Filed April 14, 1966 HE/Qagev- H'. owe/D @e INVENTOR.

vTOY SUBMARINE Filed April 14, 196e sheet 3 of s 6| rloo iol j INVENTOR-v Hsefer H. wseiase United States Patent O 3,419,997 TOY SUBMARINE Herbert H. Owbridge, 3838 Buena Park Drive, Studio City, Calif. 91604 Filed Apr. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 542,673 U.S. Cl. 46-244 Int. Cl. A63h 23/04; A63h 33/ 26 9 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Various mechanisms and apparatus have been employed in the past for causing a submersible toy to submerge and resurface and for propelling the toy while submerged and when on the surface. In some instances, the vessels were propelled by spring motors, rubber bands and more recently electric motors of compact land inexpensive construction. With respect to the means for causing the submarine to submerge and resurface, various schemes have been proposed including adjusting the bow plane so that the submarine will dive when the motor is running and will surface when the motor stops; providing a gas generator or source which will force water from a submerged submarine and make it suiiiciently buoyant to surface; changing the center of gravity of the submarine by a motor driven weight; permitting the submarine to strike the bottom so as to release rsome weight and increase the buoyancy of the submarine, and many other schemes. All of these schemes are impractical for one or more reasons. Moreover, when an electrical motor is employed for propulsion, a constant problem resides in water seepage into the motor compartment along and through the shaft and bearing which must be used to transmit torque from the motor to the propeller. This seepage will damage the motor and will render it inoperable. In some instances, elaborate sealing means have been provided to prevent such seepage but these require expensive precision fittings and usually cause extensive friction which leaves only a fraction of the small motor power available to turn the propeller.

Furthermore, such seepage is a progressive condition which forces more water into the motor compartment with increase of hydraulic pressure that the motor compartment experiences with each submersion and allows more air to escape from the motor compartment with decrease of hydraulic pressure that the motor compartment experiences with each ascent.

The model or toy submarine of the present invention obviates the difficulties and problems encountered with prior art or conventional toy submarines by providing a novel apparatus for causing the submarine to alternatively dive and resurface by inflatable means operating in accordance with a cyclic change in the buoyancy of the device. Inflation of the means Will result in a positive buoyancy and cause the submarine to rise to the surface of the water; however, the gas in 4the inflatable means is exhausted through an exhaust hose which in turn communicates with the motor compartment so that the pressurized gas entering the motor compartment provides a positive pressure which will tend to prevent water from entering the motor compartment and will also purge the motor compartment of any water which may have seeped in when the compartment was not pressurized. The ap- 3,419,997 Patented Jan. 7, 1969 ice paratus automatically cycles through a dive and resurface sequence. That is, pressurized gas from a cartridge passes through a needle valve into the inllatable member such as a diaphragm or balloon until it is fully inflated at which time a novel pinch valve will open. This will result in the balloon becoming deilated and the motor compartment will be purged by ythe exhausting gas therefrom. Deflation of the balloon will cause the pinch valve to close, thus permitting a pressure to build up and reinate the balloon. The cycle then repeats. Each time the balloon deflates, the submarine will dive. A feature of the invention also resides in the fact that an electrical switch may be attached to a toggled balloon follower arm which operates the pinch valve n order to cyclically energize the motor in addition to the cyclic inflation of the balloon.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel model submarine having a balloon operated by compressed gas, such as carbon dioxide, which is cycled at a low rate of iiow into the balloon by means of a tensioned spring toggle mechanism that is driven by the balloon which alternately opens and closes a novel pinch valve employed to control the exhaust of the balloon. Pressure developed in the balloon is employed to purge and/or prevent entrance of water (under hydrostatic pressure) from entering the motor compartment. Since the cycling of the balloon is capable of doing Work, said work can be employed to drive mechanisms and linkages from which steering, firing of missiles, torpedoes and the like can be programmed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel electrically propelled model submarine having apparatus for pressurizing the motor compartment so as to provide an effective, yet relatively inexpensive, way of preventing water damage to the motor without the necessity of costly pressurizing the field through which the propeller drive shaft must pass.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel electrically propelled submarine incorporating an inflatable balloon for causing the submarine to alternately dive and resurface by means of a cyclic change in the buoyancy of the device.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled model submarine which is simple in construction, easy to use and otherwise especially wellsuited to its intended purposes.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an electrically propelled model submarine of the character described which is ideally suited for marketing as a kit to be assembled by the purchasers.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an electrically propelled model submarine of the character described in which cyclic buoyancy control means are employed to submerge the submarine to an adjustable depth which is dependent on the degree of negative buoyancy and the rate of ow of the compressed gas.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the model submarine incorporating the present invention and illustrated as being partly broken away to reveal the motor compartment and the apparatus for purging the compartment of water and for obtaining cyclic buoyancy;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic perspective View of the pressurized gas ow system interconnecting the purging and buoyancy apparatus with the motor compartment as employed in the model submarineof FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective View of the motor compartment purging and cyclic buoyancy apparatus incorporated into the system shown in FIGURE 2 and illustrated at the beginning of an operational cycle;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective View similar to that shown in FIGURE 3 illustrating the apparatus as being well into its operational cycle;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the purging and cyclic buoyancy apparatus shown in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the purging and buoyancy apparatus as taken in the direction of arrows 6-6 of FIGURE 5 and illustrating the pinch valve closed and the compressed gas flow control needle valve;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to the view of FIGURE 6 showing the pinch valve open;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged sectional view of a second pinch valve which is a safety means for selectively bypassing the cyclic pinch valve to inactivate the purging and buoyancy apparatus so that the submarine will stay on the surface;

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to the view of FIGURE 8 showing the means in its closed position;

FIGURE 10 is a side view, in section, of the safety means as taken in the direction of arrows Ill-10 of FIG- URE 8;

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken in the direction of arrows 11--11 of FIGURE 9 showing the safety bypass means closed;

FIGURE 12 is an enlarged sectional view of means for piercing the closure of a typical gas cylinder employed in the purging and buoyancy apparatus; and

FIGURE 13 is an enlarged sectional View of the T coupling joint for passage of gas into and out of the balloon as taken in the direction of arrows y13--13 of FIGURE 5.

The model submarine illustrated in FIGURE 1 comprises, in general, a hollow hull 10i constructed of suitable material, such as polystyrene or polyurethane plastic, and includes a forward section 12, an intermediate section 13 housing a motor compartment 14, and a rear or stern section 16. The hull is shaped so as to simulate an actual submarine and for this purpose is provided with a simulated conning tower 17, periscopes 18, and 2,1, sail plane 22, stern planes 23, and rudders 24.

Suitably mounted within the motor section or compartment 14 of the intermediate section 13 of the hull, is a small conventional electric :motor 25. A shaft 26 of this motor terminates in a pinion 27 which is intermeshed with a spur gear 28 in a sump section 30 of the motor compartment. The spur gear is connected to a propeller shaft 31 by a short flexible tube 32. The propeller shaft 31 is rotatably mounted on one end through a wall 33 defining one end of the motor compartment and is rotatably mounted on its opposite end to a bearing fitting (not shown) of the hull. Fixed to the rear end of the propeller shaft 31 is a propeller 34. The flexible tube connection 32 between the propeller and the motor drive shaft is desirable since it accommodates slight misalignment of the shafts.

Motor is powered by a conventional flashlight cell or battery 35 located within the forward section 12. This battery may be mounted in any conventional manner such as by a spring clip 36 attached to the inside of the forward hull section r12. This clip engages the end of the battery to urge a button contact 37 at the top of the battery into communication with a terminal bar 38 carried in the forward section of the hull in spaced apart relationship with respect to the clip 36. The motor terminals are connected to the battery by wires 40, one of which attaches to the clip 36 and the other of which attaches to the terminal bar 38 engaged by the battery button 37 via a sliding contact arrangement between mast 20 and the supporting frame of the buoyancy mechanism to be described later.

Ballast for the model submarine may be provided in any conventional way, such as by employing weighted washers strategically located about the hull construction, sliding lead weights slidably mounted along the inside wall of the hull, or by employing a receptacle into which weighted elements may be selectively disposed, or combinations of the foregoing so that a predetermined negative buoyancy is achieved.

The engine or motor compartment 14 is made as watertight as possible so as to prevent anyleakage or seepage of `water into the interior of the compartment. However, it is to be understood that the hull will normally be filled with water which surr-ounds the motor compartment. Water may enter the hull via any suitable apertures, cracks, or via holes such as hole 39 provided in the bottom of the hull. Water may also seep into the motor compartment via the output shaft bearing and water which seeps in through this bearing collects at the bottom of the sump compartment 30y which is separated from the lmain engine section by bulkhead 29. With normal shaft bearing clearances, this seepage will be in the order of one to six drops of water with each dive. However, this water will be purged overboard by each successive deflation of the purging apparatus since the path of the exhaust of the apparatus is r-outed through this sump compartment to overboard as will be described later. Therefore, seepage water will not reach the motor and hence any commercial toy electric motor can be used without the requirement of the motor or shafting to be made of corrosive resistance material.

As indicated in the general direction of reference numeral 511 of FIGURE 2, a mechanism is shown in FIGURES 1-4 inclusive lwhich causes the submarine to alternately dive and resurface by means of a cyclic change in the buoyancy of the device. The mechanism comprises in general, a variable displacement means which is represented by an inflatable diaphragm or balloon -51 supported on a base 52 having a guide ring 53 extending largely about the periphery of the balloon. A cartridge 54 of pressurized gas, such as CO2 for example, is ernployed for providing a compressed fluid to inflate the balloon 51 and, as was described earlier and as will be described more fully later, to purge the engine compartment 14 of any water. The cartridge 54 is coupled to the balloon l51 via a conduit 55 which terminates in a needle control valve 56 having a manually operated handle 49. The control valve selectively communicates conduit with a duct 57 that terminates in a T joint 58 which operates as a branching connector. One branch or end of the coupling 58 is in direct communication with the balloon 51 via a hose 60l so that a completed passage is open between the cartridge 5-4 into and out of the balloon 51; however, the other end of the T coupling 58` is communicated with the sump portion 30 of the motor compartment 14 via conduit hose 61.

To exhaust the gas collected in the inilated balloon 51, the gas path will proceed through conduits 60` and 61 into the sump 30 which also receives the end of a pickup conduit 62 at the bottom of the sump which terminates at its opposite end at a T coupling 63. One side of the T coupling 63 is connected to an exhaust conduit 64 via a conduit 65 which is connected at one end to the coupling 63 and having its opposite end connected to one side of a joint 66. A section of deformable hose 67 is employed as a safety by-pass valve for selectively opening and closing the conduit 65 to enhance or restrict passage of fluid therethrough. The deformable hose section 67 is normally clamped closed by a spring biased clamp member 68. The other end of the T joint 63 is coupled to the exhaust conduit 64 via a conduit hose 7()I which is coupled at one end to the joint 66 beyond the deformable tube section 67 and which includes a novel cyclic pinch valve as indicated by numeral 71. The pinch valve is normally closed by means of a nger member 72 which is selectively engageable with the hose 71 to cause it to deform into a closed position or expand into an open position to communicate joint 63 with hose 70. When the pinch valve is closed, the balloon will inflate; however, when the pinch valve is open, the balloon will be deflated through the exhaust conduit 64. Inflation of the balloon will result in a positive buoyancy and cause the sub- `marine to rise to the surface of the water. The pressurized gas in the balloon is exhausted through the exhaust hose 61 which in turn communicates with the motor compartment 14. The pressurized gas entering the motor compartment provides a positive pressure which will tend to prevent water from entering the motor compartment and will also purge the motor compartment of any water which may have seeped into the compartment when the compartment was not pressurized. The motor compartment is exhausted via pick-uptube 62. Consequently, the motor compartment is pressurized to provide an ellicient, yet relatively inexpensive way of preventing Water damage to the motor without the necessity of costly pressurized seals through which the propeller drive shaft must pass. The mechanism 50 automatically cycles through a dive and resurface sequence. That is, the pressurized gas from the cartrigde 54 passes through the needle valve 56 into balloon 51 until it is fully inflated at which time the pinch valve 71 will open. This will result in the balloon becoming deflated and the motor compartment will be purged by the exhausting gas. Deation of the balloon 51 will close pinch valve 71 to thus permit a pressure to build up and reintlate balloon 51. The cycle then repeats. Each time the balloon dellates, the submarine will dive.

The mechanism `50 is more clearly illustrated in FIG- URES 3 and 4 respectively, wherein the ballons 51 is in its deflated condition and therefore the closing of the pinch valve 71 is effected as illustrated in FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4 on the other hand, illustrates the balloon 51 as being inflated and consequently, the pinch valve 71 is open.

The mechanism 50 as illustrated in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 includes a frame having a base 75 and upwardly projecting end pieces 76 and 77 arranged in 'fixed spaced parallel relationship between which a plate 78 is supported in spaced apart relationship with respect to the base 75. Between the base 715 and the plate 78, the cylinder 54 of pressurized gas is suitably retained on the frame. Preferably, a screw means such as is indicated by numeral 80 is employed which, when rotated, forcibly urges the dispensing end of the gas cartridge 54 into a receptacle 81 carried on an end plate 76 so that the dispensing end of the cylinder may be pierced to release the pressurized gas contained therein. FIGURE 12 more clearly illustrates a suitable means for piercing the dispensing end 82 of the cylinder 54 by employing a sharp piercer 83. Surrounding piercer 83 and located within receptacle l81 is a suitable rubber tube which presses against gas cartridge 54 to achieve a seal which prevents the escape of gas from the receptacle and causes said gas to ilow toward needle valve 56.

Supported on the plate 78, is the base 52 which mounts the inllatable balloon 51 as well as other assemblies and mechanisms required to cyclically control the inflation and deflation of the balloon 51. Such mechanism includes a balloon follower arm 85 which is pivotally mounted to a pivot 86 co-extensive with -a rotatable rod 87. Rod 87 is arranged to rotate on a pair of spaced apart support arms 90 and 91 upwardly projecting from plate 78 adjacent end plate 77.

The follower arm 85 comprises, in general, an elongated member having one end 92 thereof bent in a downward and inward direction so that its terminating end projects into the balloon area defined by the guard 53. The terminating end is provided with a disc 93 which is disposed to rest on top of the balloon 51 whether the balloon be inflated or deflated. The end of the follower arm opposite to its end carrying the disc 93 is provided with a cam member 94 which is arranged to ride on lan irregular surface 95 of an electrical link 96 carried on the end of motor control periscope mast 20 forming a part of the electrical circuit which programs the motor olf and on during the operational cycle. As mentioned earlier, as the balloon is inflated and subsequently deflated, the follower arm pivots on pivot 86 connected to rod 87 so that the cam member 94 moves up and down responsive to the up and down movement of the disc 93. The follower arm 85 is spring biased to return downwardly against the balloon 51 by means of a tension spring 100 which is coupled at one end to a fixed pin 101 secured to the bottom of the upright member adjacent the plate 78 while the opposite end of the spring is coupled to a pin 102 located midway between the opposite ends of the follower arm 85 and adjacent to the bend in the elongated member which forms extension 92.

The pinch valve 71 is opened and closed by means of element 72 which is pivotally mounted between upright members 105 and 106 respectively. Element 72 is attached on its opposite ends by a pair of spaced apart sections 107 and 108 which are joined at their ends opposite to their ends attached to element 72 to Ia rotatable rod 110 which is rotatably mounted between the uprights 105 and 106. This relationship is more clearly shown in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7. Particularly with respect to FIG- URE 6, it is illustrated that when the elements 72 are rotated downwardly `against the hose section 71, the hose section is collapsed' and the passageway therethrough closed; however, as indicated in FIGURE 7, when the element 72 is rotated upwardly, the pressure on the pinch valve section 71 is released and the passageway extending therethrough is open. The deformable pinch valve section or hose 71 is collapsed against a platform 111 which is suitably mounted to the inside wall of upright member 105 extending between members 105 and 106. The pinch valve 71 is opened and closed by the element 72 as actuated in response to a spring toggle mechanism as is indicated in the general direction of arrow 112 in FIGfURE 6, for example.

This toggle mechanism comprises, in general, a coil spring 113 tensioned between a pin 11-4 located adjacent pin 10-2 on the opposite side of the follower arm 8S and on its opposite end to a pin 115 carried on one end of a leg 116. One end of the leg 116 is arranged to selectively butt and stop against the top surface of the plate 78 while the opposite end of the leg is attached to the rod 110 in fixed relationship so that the pivotal movement of the leg 116 will be followed by rotatable movement of the element 72. When the disc 93 is positioned downwardly against the balloon 51 when the balloon is deflated, as shown in FIGURE 3, the tension of spring 113 forcibly urges or spring biases the leg 116 into contact with plate 78 and therefore rotates element 72 downwardly to close the pinch valve 71. However, when the follower arm 85 is rotated upwardly as the balloon is inflated, :an overcenter toggle action is achieved at a predetermined point or location of the follower arm as it moves upwardly so that the spring force of spring 113 causes the leg member 116 to rotate about its pivot so that its end adjacent plate 78 raises to the position as shown in FIGURE 4. Such laction causes the pinch valve 71 to open as illustrated in FIGURE 7. To prevent the leg 116 from advancing beyond a predetermined upper limit, a member 115 is employed as a suitable stop means.

With reference to FIGURES 8 and 9, a suitable means is shown for selectively opening and closing the by-pass deformable hose valve 67 which comprises, in general, a member 120 secured on one end to the upright member 90 and having its opposite end extending beyond the opposite edge of the plate 78 so as to interfere in the path of movement of a rod 121. One end of the rod 121 is attached to the pivot 87 and rotates therewith as the follower arm 85 moves upwardly and downwardly responsive to the inflation and deflation of the balloon 51. The end of the arm 121 opposite to its end carried on the rotating pivot 87 is arranged to travel along the outside edge of the plate 78 and engages the projecting end of the leaf member so as to remove the closure element 68 from the hose section 67 so that an open passageway exists overboard. However, upon the release of the member 120 by the arm 121 travelling in a reverse direction, the biasing of the member 120 causes the element 68 to close the passageway therethrough as indicated in FIGURE 9.

Referring now to FIGURES and ll, the safety means is provided to lock the cyclic buoyancy device in the surfaced condition until the operator is assured that the fixed buoyancy is properly adjusted for the submarine to surface without the aid of said safety means. The safety means includes a rectangular block 125 downwardly depending from the end of the pivotal pe-riscope mast 18. An elongated member 126 is friction fixed to rod 87 such that when the balloon follower is lifted or rises, shaft 87 is rotated clockwise. The lower end of member 126 is moved out and into the path of rising toggle member 116 to prevent it from rising further and opening the pinch valve 71. The balloon will now inflate more until follower driven member 121 yforces by-pass member 120 to release its pressure on by-pass hose 67 causing the by-pass hose to slowly open in a regulatory manner to prevent the balloon from over-inating but holding the balloon is a safely inflated condition. A sharp tap in a forwardly direction on periscope 18 will cause block 125 to rotatemember 126 from the downward end of toggle member 116 and release the toggle to rise and open pinch valve 71 to exhaust through motor sump compartment 14 and hence to overboard. Thus, submergence will occur with subsequent surfacing assured by the safety means. Further-v rno-re, as shown in FIGURE ll, rotation of block 125 90 by twisting periscope 13 will position rectangular block 125 with its widest dimension fore and aft such that friction driven member 126 is prevented from moving into the path of toggle member 116 thereby deactivating the safety means and allowing uninterrupted cycling of the variable buoyancy device, Rod 130 leads aft to trigger the escape of two missiles, the details of which are not shown.

Accordingly, the foregoing description relates to a mechanism and device which is enclosed within a hollow plastic hull that is driven by a small electrical motor powered by a conventional flashlight type battery. The mechanism shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 causes the submarine to alternately dive and resurface by means of a cyclic change in the buoyancy of the device. Prior to launching, the device is adjusted to have a slight negative buoyancy by means of a combination of lead-shot ballast and internal floats as desired. A cartridge of pressurized gas is coupled to the balloon via a needle control valve and a network of coupling conduits. Said needle control valve is adjusted to cause a constant continuous minute ow of gas. The balloon has an exhaust hose which connects with a pinch valve that is normally closed. As the pressurized gas from the cartridge 54 inates the balloon 51 via needle valve 56, it will raise the balloon follower arm 85 which is pivotally mounted to the upright frame member 90 and 91 via the rod 87. The upward movement of the end of arm 85 carrying the disc 93 will cause the toggle 112 to detent to its upward position, thus opening the pinch hose section and thereby permitting the balloon to deflate through the exhaust hose.

Inflation of the balloon 51 will result in a positive buoyancy and cause the submarine to rise to the surface of the water. The pressurized gas in balloon 51 is ex hausted through the exhaust hose which in turn communicates with motor sump compartment 14. The pressurized gas entering the motor compartment via the sump section 30 provides a positive pressure which will prevent water from entering the motor compartment and will also purge the motor compartment of any water which may have seeped in when the compartment was not pressurized. The

- motor compartment is exhausted via exhaust tube 62.

The mechanism automatically cycles through a dive and resurface sequence. That is, the pressurized gas from cartridge 54 passes slowly through needle valve 56 into balloon 51 until it is slowly infiated at which time the pinch valve 71 will open. This will result in the balloon becoming quickly deflated and the motor compartment will be purged by the exhausting gas. Deation of the balloon 51 will close pinch valve 71 thus permitting a pressure to build up and reinfiate balloon 13. The cycle then repeats. Each time the balloon 51 deates, the submarine will dive. Depth of dive is determined by the degree of fixed negative buoyancy and the rate at which the balloon reinflates.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of an electrical switch incorporated on the follower arm in the form of element 94 which successively engages with convolutions of FIGURE l in order to cyclically energize the motor 25 in any preferred on-off sequence. The motor terminals are connected to the battery by wires 4f), one of which attaches to spring clip 36 and the other to spring clip 38. From the spring clip 38 wire 40 goes to periscope operated motor switch 20 which when depressed, causes Spring contact 95 to be alternately engaged and disengaged by motion of an extension 94 0f follower 92. Thus, motor 25 is caused to run only during part of the submergence and surfacing cycle.

An additional feature of the present invention resides in the fa-ct that a rod 13()` may be employed as more clearly shown in FIGURE 1 which is attached to the extreme end of the rod 121 so that as rod 121 rotates about its connection on shaft 87, the rod moves in a reciprocal and recitilinear mo-tion. This motion may be used for ancillary purposes of submarine operation such as, for example, steering or, as in this embodiment, the successive release of two spring powered missiles, from storage tubes 131 or which may be used for other work purposes. Also, it is to be noted that the irregular surface convolutions 95 of the connector strip 96 forms part of the electrical circuit for energizing the motor such that as the rocker cam follower arm 85 moves up and down, cam section 94 alternately breaks and makes electrical contact with the strip 96. Therefore, an intermittent engine operation is effected as controlled 4by the inflation and deflation cycle of the balloon 51.

The by-pass valve 67 is a safety device which lallows compressed gas to by-pass the cyclic pinch valve and leak overboard so that the balloon is held in the inflated conditlon thus insuring that the submarine will surface and remam so until the safety device is released for diving. This safety device is inactivated when the operator considers the submarine is properly adjusted for safe cyclic submergence.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aimK in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall with- 1n the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a toy submarine having a hollow but water lled hull which initially sinks below the surface of the water, the combination comprising:

a sealed motor compartment carried within the hull; electrical motor means enclosed within said motor compartment to propel the hull forwardly in the water;

cyclically inflatable means carried within the hull to cause the submarine to alternatively dive and resurface by effecting a cyclic change in the buoyancy of the hull;

said latter means being operatively coupled to said motor compartment to cyclically and effectively pressurize said motor compartment to purge water therefrom during the cyclic change;

a source of pressurized gas coupled to said inflatable means to cause inflation thereof;

an overcenter toggle mechanism responsive to inflation of said latter mean'sat a predetermined time in the cyclic change to effect deflation thereof via said motor compartment to exhaust said latter means;

said overcenter toggle mechanism includes a pinch valve which is normally closed during the inflation portion of the cycle and which is open during the deflation portion of the cycle;

said pinch valve operatively connected between said motor compartiment and exteriorly of the hull so as to effect removal of water within said motor compartment;

a rotatable follower arm having one end thereof in communication with said inflatabe means and its opposite end adapted to cyclically interrupt the electrical circuit for said electrical propulsion means; and

spring biasing means connected to said follower arm forcibly urging said follower arm to remain in contact with and follow the motion of said inflatable means.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 including:

spring biasing means connected between said follower arm and said pinch' valve effective to maintain said pinch valve normally closed;

the tension of said latter spring biasing means adapted to be overcome inr'esponse to rotation of said fol lower arm during the inflation portion of the cyclif change so that saidv pinch valve will open to exhaus said inflatable means.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 including link age adapted to rotate in response to rotary movement o! said follower arm for performing work such as to effect the launching of torpedoes or missiles or the like.

4. In a model submarine having a hull provided with means therein to permit fluid entry into the hull, the combination comprising:

an electric motor for propelling the submarine in a forward direction;

a motor compartment fixed wthin the hull enclosing said motor;

a rotatable shaft operably connected to said motor in driving relationship and extending exteriorly of the hull through said motor compartment in sealing relationship therewith;

a propeller on said shaft outside of the hull;

an inflatable member in the hull located in close proximity to said motor compartment;

a cartridge of pressurized gas;

a control valve operatively coupled between said cartridge and said inflatable member for selectively supplying a constant flow of pressurized gas for inflating said inflatable member;

conduit means connecting said inflatable member toy said motor compartment;

normally closed valve means connecting said motor compartment exteriorly of the hull for selectively deflating said inflatable member; and

mechanical means operably connected to open and close said valve means responsive to inflation and deflation of said inflatable member to effect a cyclic change in submarine buoyancy to cause the submarine to alternately dive and resurface in a slow and realistic manner.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein deflation of said inflatable member exhausts the pressurized gas through said motor compartment to purge said motor compartment of water.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said mechanical means includes:

spring biased follower arm arranged in pivotal connection with said inflatable member; and

an overcenter toggle mechanism disposed between said followed arm and said vave means operable to selectively open and close said valve means responsive to inflation and deflation of said inflatable member.

7. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said mechanical means for effecting the cyclic cha'nge in buoyancy causes a cyclic pressurization and purging of said motor compartment.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 including by-pass valving means connected across the last mentioned valve means for locking said inflatable member in a safety inflated condition until released for deflation and exhaust overboard.

9. The invention as defined in claim 7 including safety by-pass means connected about said valve means operable to assure retrieval of the submarine inthe event initial buoyancy adjustments are such as to cause the submarine to resubmerge before the submarine has surfaced.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1959 Reid 46-244 3/ 1966 Schwartz 46--94 X 

